The Afterlife's a Party
by Boltshok
Summary: Trees fall hard... what happens if Winnie is squished, leaving Lifeflight on Earth, with a burning question? (Note: lots of crack in this one :P injest with some grace)
1. Chapter 1

"Winnie!"

The fight in the forest had escalated too far - medics were on scene, patching Mecha as they are injured, and sending new ones in.

Lifeflight hovers over the trees, looking for Winnie. "Winnie!"

"Lifeflight!" she answers via com. "Don't land!"

"I n-need t-t-to get y-you out!"

Winnie begins to make a reply, but her com cuts into static.

"W-Winnie!" Lifeflight cries, and he transforms, crashing down through the trees to her current location.

He locates her beneath a fallen tree, gasping for breath.

"Winnie," he whispers, struggling to lift the tree off of her.

"Go... Lifeflight..."

"I c-c-can't leave you!" he cries, trying once again to lift the log.

Bullets whiz over his head, and he ducks a stray cannon shot. Finally, he gives up, and looks around for aide.

"H-Help me!" he cries to a passing Autobot, and the mech halts.

Together, they pull the wood off Winnie, throwing it to the side. Lifeflight falls to his knees next to her, drawing her broken body up into his arms.

"I'm... sorry... Lifeflight..."

"No... n-no... it'll be okay, W-Winnie. I'll g-get you b-b-back to Base... y-you'll be o-okay."

"Lifeflight... please... don't do anything... rash," she whispers, looking up at him with a small smile. "It'll be... better... without... me..."

"No!" he cries, tears starting to stream down his face. "No! D-D-Don't leave m-me alone!"

"You're... never alone... Lifeflight... I love you," Winnie whispers. "Never... alone."

With a soft breath, she looks up at him and smiles... and the life fades from her eyes.

"W-Winnie?" Lifeflight asks, as she slowly stares at nothing. "W-Winnie?"

When he realizes what has happened, he curls over her, thick sobs rattling his chest. Carefully picking up her body, he walks back through the trees, the fight seeming to part around him, and he slowly emerges into the light of empty fields, and finds his way back to the main road, walking to Base. Upon walking into medbay, G halts in her healing of wounded Mecha.

"Lifeflight?" she asks, seeing him carry Winnie in. "Lifeflight..."

He lays Winnie's body out on a berth, her once-bright green eyes closed as if asleep.

"What... what's wrong... what's happened..."

"Winnie is... is... is..." he starts to cry again, slumping against the berth. "Sh-Sh-She's _gone_, G-G."

G stares at him for a solid moment, until Bumblebee walks over, rubbing her shoulders.

"I... am so sorry," he whispers, pulling G away, back into his warmth.

...

Lifeflight lies against the berth for a long time, until Ratchet comes over and disturbs his silence.

"Lifeflight? You should come to berth. Windstorm's squad has invited you to-"

"L-Let g-g-go of m-me!" Lifeflight barks, shoving Ratchet's hand off of his arm. "I w-will s-s-sit vigil f-for h-her tonight."

"Lifeflight, she was hu-"

I d-d-don't c-care!" Lifeflight growls. "Sh-Sh-She is m-m-mine to sit f-for."

Ratchet falls silent. "Okay."

Lifeflight draws a chair up next to Winnie, as Ratchet covers her with a blanket.

"N-No," Lifeflight insists, pulling that thermal off. "Sh-She will h-h-have mine."

"Fine." Ratchet says, exasperated, as Lifeflight pulls his blanket out of subspace, laying it over Winnie's frame.

His name, in scrawled cursive print, is embroidered on the corner, and he tucks it up next to her flaxen hair. Lifeflight sits down in the chair, palm up next to Winnie's shoulder.

"T-T-Turn the l-l-lights off-f, if y-you would," Lifeflight says politely, looking up at Ratchet.

"I... will," Ratchet sighs.

He walks away, and flicks the overhead lights off, and for the first time in a long time, medbay is truly dark. The only light comes from Lifeflight's eyes, and the slightly illuminated tears rolling down his cheeks.

He hears Ratchet leave, and the medbay is empty.

"Oh W-Winnie," Lifeflight murmurs. "Wh-Why wasn't I th-there..."

...

Where... what?

Winnie wakes in a blinding brilliant light, surrounded by Mecha, all holding... shot glasses?

"See that ya finally came around," a warm, playful voice says, somewhere above her.

Looking up, her eyes lock on a bright red mech, extending a hand to her. "Come on, up you get."

Winnie looks around, confused. "What happened? Where am I?" she asks.

"Oh dear," the mech says. "Come on, get up, and I'll take you outside - we can talk there."

She stands shakily up and follows the bot. He opens a door, which opens... into another room. It looks like the party has come and gone; streamers are on the floor, and empty glasses line tables and countertops.

He eases down on the floor once Winnie is in and the door is shut, and then pats the carpeting next to him. "Sit on down... this might be a bit of a shocker."

...

Lifeflight's tears had dried again for the moment, and he reflects on Winnie's life. So exciting...

"A-And to b-believe I w-was going t-to ask f-for your-r hand tonight," he whispers.

...

The mech turns to Winnie. "Dear... you're in the Well."

Winnie stares at him for a long time. "...where?"

"The Well," he says. "You... are no longer living."

...

Out of subspace, Lifeflight pulls out a tiny black box, and sets it beside Winnie's shoulder as well.

"I i-imagine you w-would b-blush and then... then... h-hopefully say yes," he whispers, fingering the dark velvet. "Wh-Why didn't-t I ask y-you sooner..."

He pulls out the two silver objects, and slides them onto his own finger.

...

Winnie stares bewildered at the opposite wall. "Oh..." She covers her mouth slowly with a hand.

"Sorry, dear," he says. "Want a sip of high-grade? I hope you are of age."

She shakes her head. "N-No thank you..."

...

Morning rolls around in the physical world. Lifeflight, finished with his vigil, picks up Winnie's frame and transforms, flying out towards the compound. He goes past the building, out into the forests of Alondra.

Once he finds a suitable place, far out from any touch of civilization, he lands, transforming. Laying Winnie on a bed of soft moss, he pulls a shovel out of subspace, beginning to dig at the base of a tree.

...

Winnie shivers and looks up, trying to smile. "I d-don't think I got your name."

"Oh, whoops! Sentinel, dear. Sentinel Prime. I'm one of the only ones here... I mean, Nova Prime is down in the snakepit, but other than that..."

"N-Nice to meet you." She smiles to him.

"Likewise," he says, taking a drink of his cube.

...

Once the place is dug, Lifeflight carefully lowers Winnie into the ground, the tree leaves rustling above him.

"I kn-know you w-wouldn't want me to tear up-p a flower f-for you," Lifeflight mumbles, reaching into subspace. "B-But I have s-some bulbs... th-they will g-grow anew."

He sets the plant material off to the side, and slowly begins to fill in the hole again, stray teardrops flinging themselves off his cheeks.

Once the place is filled, he kneels on the ground, dirt rubbing into his armor. He gathers the bulbs, and pushes away some of the soft earth to bury them at the crux of the mound.

Finished, he stands up, looking over Winnie's grave.

"Y-You need a m-marker," he says. "O-Or else you'd lose y-your place."

He looks around, finally locating a creek a short distance away. Walking to it, he pulls a nice-sized river rock out, and brings it back, setting it at the base of the tree.

"There," he murmurs, looking over his work.

He kneels once again at the grave, folding his hands in his lap.

"Primus, p-please... p-please deliver W-Winnie t-to the Well... and d-don't let go of-f her until I g-get there," he whispers.

Standing up, he wipes his eyes, and walks away, out into the openness. He has a question to ask Ratchet now.

...

"You feelin' alright?" Sentinel asks Winnie.

"Sure," she says, smiling weakly up at him.

"Okay," he says. "You're looking a little green around the edges."

"I'm good," she says, pulling her knees up to her chest.

...

Lifeflight lands in front of Base, marching in with purpose. He walks into the medbay, and into Ratchet's office.

"D-Doc?"

"Yes, Lifeflight..." Ratchet answers, looking up at the medic from a datapad.

"W... Will y-y-you do s-something for me?"

"What?"

"Give m-me the Mark. W-Winnie has passed... and I w-want n-no more o-of this torment."

The elder medic stares at Lifeflight for a moment. "But... Lifeflight, this is only a temporary hurt. You will get over-"

"No!" Lifeflight growls. "I m-m-most certainly _will not_. N-N-Now; will y-you give m-me the Mark or not?"

Ratchet stares at him, and then shakes his head. "I'm... sorry, Lifeflight. I... can't do that to you."

Lifeflight's cheeks flush, and his airblades flare as he turns. "Fine."

He marches out into the medbay, turning down a hall to the medical rec room.

Opening the door, he spies Jolt inside. "J-Jolt? Will... will y-you do s-s-something f-for me?"

"Uh... sure," Jolt says. "What?"

"Ratchet h-h-has n-not given m-me authorization for the M-Mark," Lifeflight says. "B-But I want you t-t-to do it-t anyway... _now_."

Jolt stares at him. "Uh... Lifeflight, this is not ethical."

"Wh-Why?" the little medic demands. "I w-want it d-d-done, now. Th-The sooner m-m-my chamber is s-sealed, th-the better."

Jolt sighs. "Oh Lifeflight... fine."

He motions for him to sit down on the couch.

...

"Sure you don't want a drink?" Sentinel asks.

Winnie nods, smiling. "Yes, thank you."

"Alright," he says, slugging the rest. "You wanna come back into the party, or do you want some alone time?"

"I'll sit here, if you don't mind," she says, trying to keep up her smile.

"Okay," he says, standing up. "I'll leave you be... I'll be back in a little while."

...

"Alright, now take your chest plate off," Jolt says.

Lifeflight pulls the designated armor off, and Jolt locates the seam of his spark chamber. "Are you sure?" he asks quietly, and Lifeflight nods.

"Y-Yes. D-Do it."

Jolt reaches into subspace and pulls out a welding torch, big and thick for surgical welds. He shakes his head, fires it up, and touches it to the top of Lifeflight's seam. The little medic groans and cries out, as Jolt moves down, melting the flesh together.

"All... o-o-of it..." Lifeflight whispers, and Jolt touches on the sideseams as well, closing Lifeflight's spark chamber off from the outside.

When he is finished, the wounds are weeping, and he presses a cloth to them.

"Easy, easy," he says, patting the welds. "Relax, breathe, breathe..."

Lifeflight is choking on sobs, and he grinds his denta in pain, chest heaving. "Th... Th... Th... Thank... y-you," he groans, right before his eyes flicker to darkness.

"Lifeflight?" Jolt asks, patting his cheek. "Lifeflight?"

The other medic lolls to the side, and Jolt presses his head to Lifeflight's chest. No beating.

"Lifeflight?" Jolt asks, voice very small.

When Lifeflight doesn't respond, Jolt steps back, unsure. Whirling, he hits the wall.

Ratchet opens the door. "WHAT IN THE FRAGGING PIT IS GOING ON IN HERE?!"

Upon seeing Jolt standing and Lifeflight on the couch, his eyes widen. "You... didn't..."

"I did, and that mech opened his plates and killed his own spark," Jolt sobs, rushing past Ratchet.

...

In the Well, suddenly the atmosphere feels different. Winnie stands up and walks out into the party again. She can't place it, but something is amiss...

She plods through the people. Why? Why, why, why? She stumbles past someone. _I wanna go home._

...

So many unfamiliar faces, so many sparks to touch... it's beginning to get tedious, all this walking.

When... suddenly, the room feels strange. Huh, I wonder what's happening...

That's when another spark blindsides hers, and their spiritual bodies are flung to the floor. Thin, lithe arms are wrapped around her, and a timid medic holds her tightly.

"Winnie," he gasps, clinging to her. "Oh, Winnie... my goodness," he murmurs, looking into her eyes. "I must kiss you."

He leans down, and their lips lock in a mindblowing kiss - only for a few moments, before he breaks it and presses tightly to her.

"Winnie?" he asks, stammer gone. "Would... would you bond with me? I mean, we're in the Well... but if we bond here... and then we're reincarnated... we'll be twins... with an unbreakable sparkbond."

Her lower lip trembles, and she buries her face in his shoulder. "L-Lifeflight? Oh jeez, Lifeflight. What did you do?" she cries into his shoulder.

"I... I... I'm sorry," he sobs, starting to cry as well. "I offlined myself with the Mark. I... I couldn't be alone, Winnie, I couldn't stand it... I buried you," he whimpers. "I had to bury you. And then you were _gone_, and I was alone."

Winnie chokes and wraps her arms around his neck, pressing into him. Pulling her in as well, Lifeflight curls around Winnie, not wanting to let go.

"Please don't ever leave me again," he whispers. "Ever-ever-ever."

She nods in his shoulder. "Why did you... oh jeez, Lifeflight..."

"You died and it broke my spark," he whines. "I couldn't live like that. Not without you."

She shudders, shoulders heaving as he speaks.

"Now," he whispers. "I have another question for you."

She pulls back and wipes her eyes. "Hm?"

"Would... can I... may I have your hand?" he asks softly, looking into her eyes. "I died with the rings on my finger... I have yours."

Her heads snaps up and her already splotchy face flushes pink. "Oh jeez, Lifeflight." She throws her arms around him again, new tears streaming down her face.

"Y-Yes!"


	2. Chapter 2

He laughs, hugging her tightly. "Winnie!" he cries, sitting back to tease a hand away from his shoulders.

He places a soft kiss on the tender skin of the top of her hand, and pulls a ring off his left hand, sliding it onto hers.

"There," he murmurs.

She looks down at it and smiles up at him, tears still trailing down from her puffy eyes. Then she reaches up and kisses him.

He smiles into the connection, and as it slowly breaks, he sighs, nuzzling into her neck. "Winnie? Do you want to bond? Or save that for another day?"

"I... I... okay," Winnie whispers.

Lifeflight is practically beaming with joy, and he gently picks Winnie up, cradling her in his arms. As if he already contained the knowledge, he exits the party through another door, and it leads them into... a forest?

"It can be anything you want it to be," he murmurs in Winnie's ear.

Shutting the door, it vanishes. Lifeflight walks further on into the woods, and finds a soft spot, laying Winnie down on the moss now covering the forest floor.

He lies down as well, kissing Winnie again. "I love you," he murmurs. "Don't ever forget."

"I love you too..."

"You need to undress to bond," he whispers in her ear. "I won't look at you if you don't want me to."

"I... um..."

"I only want your spark," Lifeflight whispers, putting his hands on her midsection, tight with nerves. "Not your unwilling body."

He kisses her again, and Winnie's eyes open, looking into his.

"Hey," he whispers. "I hope you... _you_... want this."

His spark chamber opens, and the warmth touches Winnie.

"Do you know how to open your chamber?" he asks quietly.

As the question hangs in the air, he kisses Winnie's cheek, pulling his hands back.

"Hush, hush," he whispers. "I can feel you trembling... I'll stop, I'll stop... you're too excited right now. Please don't be frightened."

He pulls himself away, lying next to her. She curls into his side and relaxes in the soft ground. He traces the edge of his spark chamber, still open to her.

"Save it for another day," he murmurs. "You can do what you will to mine... it's always been yours."

Winnie shivers and buries her face in his arm.

"Hush, Winnie, hush. It's just you and I." His chamber slides shut, and he wraps his other arm around her. "I'm sorry we're not at home."

Tears trickle down her face as he mentions the compound. "It's not your fault," she says quietly.

"No... it is," he reasons. "I wasn't there to protect you... and you got hurt."

He nuzzles into her, and sighs. "Wait... does that tree look familiar?"

Sitting up, he looks around. "Come, Winnie."

He picks her up and sets her down on her feet, taking her hand in his. Leading her through the trees, Lifeflight soon comes upon a clearing, and they walk slowly through. After a few more minutes of walking, they arrive at... the compound?

"I knew it," Lifeflight murmurs. "It can be anything we want. And we want the compound."

Winnie lets go of his hand and walks over to the house. She lays her hand on the door and sobs harder.

"Oh Winnie," Lifeflight sighs, walking up behind her and giving her a hug. "I can't give you what you want, can I?"

"I-I'm sorry," she says, hastily wiping her face.

"No," he murmurs, "you're hurting. And I'm sorry for that."

"I sh-shouldn't be..." She hiccups.

"That's okay," he whispers. "That's alright."

She pulls away, and pushes the door open.

"Well, that took you _forever_," comes a voice from inside.

Winnie jumps back, knocking into Lifeflight.

"Honestly, come on. I've got a box of tissues and everything," the same voice says.

Lifeflight puts an arm around Winnie and peeks inside, a smile spreading across his face.

"It's okay," he tells Winnie. "You can go in."

She steps forward tentatively, coming around the corner. Bumblebee resides on the couch, a box of tissues in his lap, and a deck of cards in his hand.

"Well, come sit down," he says. "I can't play fish by myself."

Winnie stops, mouth open. "What?"

"I said, come play some fish with me," he says, starting to deal. "And I'll give you an explanation fit to feed your Pa'li."

She hesitantly walks forward and sits down, jaw still open.

"Lifeflight too," he says.

Once the cards are all dealt, he throws the tissues into Winnie's lap.

"From G with love," he says. "Although we expected Lifeflight to be the one upset... oh well. Anyways, go fish."

Winnie picks up the cards and stares at Bee, bewildered. He looks from Winnie to Lifeflight, and sighs. "You don't know why I'm here, do you?" he asks.

"Absolutely not."

"Winnie... once you get a ticket to the party you can come back," he says, holding up his wrist, to where a plastic sticky bracelet is wrapped around his wrist. "And you're no exception."

Winnie still looks at Bee, not comprehending.

"Well... yeah," he says, unbuckling his chest plate.

Thick, congealed energon coats a stab mark on his chest, straight through his spark chamber, and a glowing knife sticks out past it.

"Not without a little help, though," he says. "I've been sent to judge you."

Winnie looks at the knife and her eyes widen, even as he speaks.

"So... have you been naughty or nice?" he asks with a smile, pulling a datapad out of subspace.

Winnie tears her eyes away from the knife and looks up at him. "Uh..."

He smiles, but when he looks her over and sees the fright in her eyes, he sighs, his expression softening. Extending a hand palm up to her, he smiles gently.

"Winnie," he says, "you're going home."

He turns on the datapad, and scrolls to the bottom.

"Anybody got a stylus?" he asks, reaching into subspace.

She blinks a couple times and it clicks. "We can go home?"

"Well, yeah," he says. "If I could sign this darn thing. You are both cleared."

He fumbles around in subspace, and finally pulls out a stylus. He signs his names' insignia, and then finds another, signing it as well.

"Now," he says. "We have to go back to the party. You need a bracelet, and I need to look for... someone."

Winnie's face breaks into a wide smile. "My gosh! Thank you, Bee!" She drops her cards and hugs him. "We can go home!"

"Yes, yes," he says, as she eventually lets go of him. "Are you two ready?"

"I think so," Lifeflight says, looking over at Winnie. His ring glints on his finger.

Winnie looks up and grins widely at him, before bending down to pick up the cards.

"Ooh..." Bumblebee says, looking back and forth, Lifeflight to Winnie. "There's something shiny in your lives I see."

Winnie looks up and sees what he's looking at and her face turns pink.

Bumblebee smiles, laying down a card. "Congratulations."

Lifeflight beside her blushes as well, looking down at his lap.

"Anyways," Bee says, laying his cards down. "Let's hit the party block."

He stands up, and proffers a hand to Winnie. "I apologize if I bled on your couch."

"Oh n-no... I, um... d-does it hurt?" she asks tentatively, standing as well.

"No," he says. "You wanna touch it?"

At her horrified stare, he smiles a little, touching the edges lightly.

"Well... it aches... but no hurt, really."

"I'm really sorry..." she says, looking up at him.

"Eh," he says, looking down at the energon, now coating his hands from where he touched it. "I think I've had worse."

He opens the door, and the party is on the other side.

"After you, newlyweds," he says with a grinning smile.

Winnie blushes deeper and walks through into the crowded room. The party has plenty of drinks, and someone hands Bumblebee a shot glass upon seeing his stab.

"Jeez, mech... hey, you're a walker," they say. "Good luck."

Bee nods to him, and takes the shot, handing the glass back. "Come Winnie, Lifeflight. Don't lose me in the crowd."

She keeps close on his tail as he moves forward, getting shunted around in the sea of people.

Lifeflight reaches out, catching her hand as someone nearly walks between them. "Winnie!" he yelps, pressing close to her back.

"Sorry," he murmurs. "I'm getting lost."

"It's alright." She says squeezing his hand slightly and smiling.

"Sentinel!" Bee says, greeting the bright red mech.

"Bumblebee," he says, looking him up and down. "You've grown."

Bee smiles, and gives the Prime a hug. "I need a bracelet for these two renegades," he says, gesturing to Winnie and Lifeflight.

"Alright," Sentinel says, reaching into his subspace. "C'mere, you two."

Winnie pulls Lifeflight forward and they step up beside Bee.

"Wrist," Sentinel says. "Now, this feels weird, or so I'm told."

He peels the protector off the sticky part, and holds it out for Winnie's wrist. She holds her forearm out for him and smiles. Wrapping it around, he sticks the sticky end to the other side, and Winnie feels a tingling.

"Now, ya may come and go," he says. "But only for a set reason. Do you have a reason?"

"Mine is to ferry sparks that don't deserve the passage of death back to the living," Bumblebee says.

Winnie looks up at the bracelet and then up at Sentinel. "I um..."

"Think on that for a minute," he says. "Mech?"

Lifeflight slowly extends his right arm, and Sentinel places the bracelet on, and Lifeflight shakes his arm a little, as the tingling touches his skin. "What is your reason?" Sentinel asks.

"To be able to bring Winnie back from her mistakes," Lifeflight says, without taking a moment to think. "If any are fatal or mortal."

He looks down at her, and smiles. "And also... to bring myself back if I get lost."

She smiles back up at him and then looks at the floor. "Um... my reason is to find and grow on earth flora and fauna. And to bring Lifeflight back if needed."

"Sounds solid," Sentinel says, smiling. "You here to speak with anyone else, Bumblebee?"

"Eh... I don't think so," Bee says. "Is... is Prima..."

"Yes," Sentinel says, stepping back. A door appears behind him. "Take this... and these two as well."

Bee's eyes widen, and he nods. "Thank you," he breathes. "Come, Winnie, Lifeflight."

Winnie trails behind Bee, hanging tightly to Lifeflight's hand. Bee opens the door, and when they step through, everything is bleached in white light.


End file.
